Preamble
In Oracle PLSQL Synonym is an alternative name for objects such as tables, views, sequences, stored procedures and other database objects.
Typically, you use synonyms when you provide access to an object from another schema, and you don’t want users to worry about which schema the object belongs to.
Create (or Replace) Synonym
You can create a synonym so that users do not use a table name prefix with the schema name when using a table in a query.
Syntax for creating Oracle/PLSQL synonyms
CREATE [OR REPLACE] [PUBLIC] SYNONYM [schema .] synonym_name
FOR [schema .] object_name [@ dblink];
OR REPLACE
Allows you to recreate a synonym (if it already exists), without having to issue the DROP synonym command.
- PUBLIC – This means that the synonym is public and available to all users. Remember that the user must first have the appropriate privileges for the synonym object.
- schema – The appropriate schema. If this phrase is omitted, Oracle assumes that you are referring to your own schema.
- object_name – The name of the object for which you are creating the synonym. It can be one of the following objects:
- table
- view
- sequence
- stored procedure
- function
- package
- materialized view
- java class schema object
- user-defined object
- synonym
Let’s consider an example of how to create a synonym in Oracle/PLSQL
CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM suppliers
FOR app;
This first example of CREATE SYNONYM demonstrates how to create a synonym with the name. Now, users of other schemes can reference the table with suppliers without the prefix of the scheme name and table name.
SELECT *
FROM suppliers;
If this synonym already exists and you want to recreate it, you can use OR REPLACE as follows:
CREATE OR REPLACE PUBLIC SYNONYM suppliers
FOR app.suppliers;
Drop synonym
After the synonym was created in Oracle, you will need to remove it at some point.
drop synonym syntax in Oracle/PLSQL
DROP [PUBLIC] SYNONYM [schema .] synonym_name [force];
- PUBLIC – Allows you to remove the public synonym. If you specified a PUBLIC, you may not need to specify a schema.
- Force – This will force Oracle to remove the synonym, even if it has dependencies. This is probably not a good idea to use force, as it can invalidate Oracle objects.
Let us consider an example of how to remove synonym in Oracle/PLSQL
For example:
DROP PUBLIC SYNONYM;
The DROP operator will delete the synonym with the name of suppliers that we defined earlier.
About Enteros
Enteros offers a patented database performance management SaaS platform. It proactively identifies root causes of complex business-impacting database scalability and performance issues across a growing number of clouds, RDBMS, NoSQL, and machine learning database platforms.
The views expressed on this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Enteros Inc. This blog may contain links to the content of third-party sites. By providing such links, Enteros Inc. does not adopt, guarantee, approve, or endorse the information, views, or products available on such sites.
Are you interested in writing for Enteros’ Blog? Please send us a pitch!
RELATED POSTS
How to Optimize Logistics and Transportation Operations with Enteros Database Software, AI-Powered Analytics, and Database Observability
- 18 August 2026
- Database Performance Management
Introduction Logistics and transportation companies operate in an environment where timing, visibility, and data accuracy are critical. Every shipment, delivery, warehouse transaction, route update, fleet event, and customer interaction generates data. Modern logistics organizations rely on Transportation Management Systems (TMS), Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), ERP, fleet management, order management, customer portals, supply chain analytics, and … Continue reading “How to Optimize Logistics and Transportation Operations with Enteros Database Software, AI-Powered Analytics, and Database Observability”
Optimizing Banking Cloud Infrastructure with AIOps, FinOps, and Intelligent Database Analytics
Introduction Banking has become increasingly dependent on cloud infrastructure. Digital banking applications, mobile banking, payment gateways, loan platforms, fraud detection systems, customer portals, and real-time transaction services all rely on infrastructure that must deliver high performance around the clock. At the same time, banks face a difficult operational challenge: they must increase technology capacity without … Continue reading “Optimizing Banking Cloud Infrastructure with AIOps, FinOps, and Intelligent Database Analytics”
How AIOps and FinOps Reduce Cloud Costs While Improving Financial Application Performance
Introduction Financial applications operate in one of the most demanding digital environments. Banking platforms, payment gateways, digital wallets, lending applications, insurance systems, trading platforms, and financial services applications must process large transaction volumes while delivering fast, secure, and reliable experiences. As financial organizations move more workloads to cloud and hybrid environments, they gain scalability and … Continue reading “How AIOps and FinOps Reduce Cloud Costs While Improving Financial Application Performance”
How to Optimize Automotive Operations with Enteros Database Software, AI-Powered Analytics, and Database Observability
Introduction The automotive industry is transforming into a software- and data-driven ecosystem. Connected vehicles, electric vehicles, autonomous technologies, manufacturing automation, digital sales, predictive maintenance, and intelligent supply chains are creating unprecedented database workloads. Automotive organizations must connect vehicle data, manufacturing systems, customer platforms, suppliers, dealers, finance, and logistics. Enteros helps automotive organizations improve database performance … Continue reading “How to Optimize Automotive Operations with Enteros Database Software, AI-Powered Analytics, and Database Observability”